Chronologies
US - China
Chronology from May 2022 to Aug 2022
: Two US Navy Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruisers, USS Antietam and USS Chancellorsville, conducted a Taiwan Strait transit.
: US and Chinese financial regulators announce they have reached an agreement to allow accounting firms in China to share more information with US regulators about the finances of Chinese companies listed on US stock exchanges.
: US Sen. Marsha Blackburn, a Tennessee Republican who sits on the Senate Armed Services Committee, arrives in Taiwan for a three-day visit.
: Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman meets Chinese Ambassador to the US Qin Gang. They reportedly discussed Taiwan, US and China embassy diplomatic operations, COVID-19 restrictions, and the recently-ended UN travel ban on Taliban officials.
: United States adds seven China-related entities, mostly related to aerospace, to its export control list, citing national security and foreign policy concerns.
: Indiana Gov. Eric J. Holcomb arrives in Taiwan for a four-day visit, marking the first visit by a US governor to Taiwan since the start of the COVID pandemic.
: Sen. Edward J. Markey, Reps. John Garamendi, Don Beyer, Alan Lowenthal, and Aumua Amata Coleman Radewagen visit Taiwan as part of Congressional Delegation travel in Asia.
: China releases a white paper titled “The Taiwan Question and China’s Reunification in the New Era” to emphasize “the position and policies of the CPC and the Chinese government in the new era.”
: President Biden signs into law the bipartisan CHIPS and Science Act of 2022, in which funds will ensure that “recipients do not build certain facilities in China and other countries of concern.”
: China imposes sanctions on Nancy Pelosi and her immediate family members.
: China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs announces cancellation of several planned US-China military dialogues as well as cooperation with the US on the repatriation of illegal immigrants, legal assistance in criminal matters, transnational crimes, and counternarcotics, and talks on climate change.
: Biden administration postpones a routine test launch of an Air Force Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile to avoid escalating tensions with Beijing.
: US Senate Subcommittee on Near East Asia, South Asia, Central Asia and Counterterrorism holds a hearing on “China’s Role in the Middle East.”
: G7 Foreign Ministers issue a statement on “Preserving Peace and Stability Across the Taiwan Strait” which expresses concern about “recent and announced threatening actions by the People’s Republic of China, particularly live-fire exercises and economic coercion, which risk unnecessary escalation.”
: US-China Economic and Security Commission holds a hearing on “Challenges from Chinese Policy in 2022: Zero-COVID, Ukraine, and Pacific Diplomacy.”
: Eastern Theater Command of the Chinese PLA organizes joint combat training exercises in the northern, southwestern and southeastern waters and airspace off Taiwan.
: Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Xie Feng summons US Ambassador to China Nicholas Burns for an emergency meeting and lodges “stern representations and strong protests with the US side” against Speaker Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan.
: Speaker Nancy Pelosi and five other members of Congress arrive in Taiwan, marking the first official visit to Taiwan by a speaker of the House of Representatives in 25 years.
: US House Foreign Affairs Committee holds a hearing on Taiwan with officials from Department of Defense and Department of State.
: US House Foreign Affairs Committee holds a hearing on “Countering Gray Zone Coercion in the Indo-Pacific.”
: President Biden holds a virtual call with Xi Jinping. Biden underscores that US policy on Taiwan has not changed and that the United States “strongly opposes unilateral efforts to change the status quo or undermine peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait.” On the Taiwan issue, Xi warns that “those who play with fire will perish by it.”
: Commenting on the reported planned visit to Taiwan by Speaker of the House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi, Chinese Defense Ministry Spokesperson Sr. Col. Tan Kefei states that “the Chinese military will absolutely never sit idle by, and will certainly take strong and resolute measures to thwart any interference by external forces and secessionist attempts for ‘Taiwan independence.’”
: USS Benfold (DDG-65) transits the Taiwan Strait three days after it sails near the Spratly Islands in the South China Sea as part of a freedom of navigation operation.
: China’s Minister of Ecology and Environment Huang Runqiu holds bilateral meetings in Washington DC with Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo, deputy administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Janet McCabe, and Gavin Newsom, governor of California, in an attempt to push green cooperation.
: USS Benfold (DDG 65) conducts Freedom of Navigation Operation in the South China Sea near the Spratly Islands.
: State Department approves a possible sale to Taiwan of Blanket Order Contractor Technical Assistance Support consisting of unclassified spare and repair parts and assembly for tanks and combat vehicles and logistical technical assistance for an estimated $108 million.
: Guided-missile destroyer USS Benfold (DDG-65) conducts a FONOP around the Paracel Islands, challenging restrictions on innocent passage imposed by the PRC, Taiwan, and Vietnam, and challenging China’s claim to straight baselines enclosing the Paracel Islands.
: Congressional-Executive Commission on China holds a hearing on “The Dismantling of Hong Kong’s Civil Society.”
: President Biden announces he will extend for one year the National Emergency with Respect to Hong Kong in accordance with section 202(d) of the National Emergencies Act (50 USC. 1622(d)) in effect beyond July 14, 2022.
: State Department issues a statement on the “Sixth Anniversary of the Arbitral Tribunal Ruling on the South China Sea” which reaffirms its July 13, 2020 policy regarding maritime claims in the South China Sea and calls on the PRC to abide by its obligations under international law.
: US Consul General Hanscom Smith Farewell issues farewell remarks, in which he expresses consistent US government support for One Country, Two Systems and Hong Kong’s autonomy, stresses the damage of the National Security Law to the rule of law, and concerns about “Beijing’s wholesale abandonment of democratic processes in its overhaul of Hong Kong’s electoral system.”
: US Federal Court indicts five men, including one current federal law enforcement officer and one retired federal law enforcement officer, for crimes pertaining to a transnational repression scheme to silence critics orchestrated on behalf of the government of the PRC.
: US Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark A. Milley speaks with China’s Chief of the Joint Staff Department, General Li Zuocheng by video teleconference.
: Chinese Vice Premier Liu He holds video conversation with Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen at the latter’s request. Yellen raised issues of concern including the impact of the Russia’s war against Ukraine on the global economy and unfair, non-market PRC economic practices.
: US State Department issues a statement marking “Hong Kong 25 Years After Handover” which highlights the dismantling of Hong Kong’s democratic institutions and calls on the PRC to reinstate the freedoms promised to the Hong Kong people.
: Commerce Department’s BIS adds 23 entities to the Entity List under the destination of China on the basis that they are determined to be acting against US national security or foreign policy interests.
: NATO releases “NATO Strategic Concept 2022” which mentions China for the first time. China is described as presenting “systemic challenges” to Euro-Atlantic security.
: Commerce Department adds 31 firms, five of which are Chinese, (Connec Electronic, King Pai Technology, Sinno Electronics, Winninc Electronic and World Jetta Logistics) to an export blacklist for violating sanctions against Russia, which effectively bars US companies from exporting to them.
: G7 releases a Leaders Communique that expresses concern about many Chinese policies, including its expansive maritime claims in the South China Sea, its failure to honor its commitments regarding Hong Kong, its non-market policies and practices which distort the global economy, and its human rights policies.
: US Indo-Pacific Command states that “A US Navy P-8A Poseidon transited the Taiwan Strait in international airspace…The aircraft’s transit of the Taiwan Strait demonstrates the United States’ commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific.”
: Congressional-Executive Commission on China holds a hearing on “Tibet: Barriers to Settling an Unresolved Conflict.”
: Justice Department releases statement that a former US Army helicopter pilot-turned-civilian-contractor pleaded guilty in federal court to acting as an unregistered agent of China and accepting thousands of dollars to provide the Chinese government with aviation-related information from his defense-contractor employers.
: State Department announces that US Customs and Border Protection will begin to implement the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act’s provisions to ban imports of products made by forced labor in Xinjiang into the US.
: State Department releases a statement in support of the Philippines, calling on the PRC to end its provocative actions, to uphold freedom of navigation and to respect international law in the South China Sea.
: Justice Department charges a former University of Arkansas professor with making a false statement to the FBI about the existence of patents for his inventions in the People’s Republic of China.
: Congressional-Executive Commission on China holds a hearing on “The Threat of Transnational Repression from China and the US Response.”
: National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan and Chinese Communist Party Director of the Office of the Foreign Affairs Commission Yang Jiechi meet in Luxembourg for 4.5-hours.
: China’s Defense Minister Wei Fenghe delivers speech on China’s vision of regional order at the 19th Shangri-La Dialogue.
: Secretary of Defense Austin underscores US commitment to the longstanding one-China policy and under the Taiwan Relations Act and warns against the “increase in the number of unsafe aerial intercepts and confrontations at sea by PLA aircraft and vessels” in his remarks at the Shangri-La Dialogue.
: Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III meets Chinese Defense Minister Gen. Wei Fenghe in person for the first time on the margins of the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore.
: US-China Economic and Security Commission holds a hearing on “US-China Competition in Global Supply Chains.”
: US-China Economic and Security Commission holds a hearing on “China’s Position on Russia’s Invasion of Ukraine.”
: State Department approves a Foreign Military Sale of Ship Spare Parts and related equipment to Taiwan for an estimated cost of $120 million.
: Commerce Department’s Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) issues a Temporary Denial Order (TDO) that suspends export privileges of three US-based companies, Quicksilver Manufacturing Inc., Rapid Cut LLC, and US Prototype Inc., for 180 days for the unauthorized export to China of technical drawings and blueprints used to 3-D print satellite, rocket, and defense-related prototypes.
: USAID Administrator Samantha Power delivers a policy address, “A Global Revolution of Dignity” at the National Press Club and highlights how the current moment presents a pivotal opportunity to reverse the trends of democratic decline.
: Secretary Blinken issues a statement to commemorate the 33rd anniversary of the Tiananmen Square massacre in Beijing.
: US Department of State releases the “2021 Report on International Religious Freedom: China,” which concludes that the Chinese government “continued to assert control over religion and to restrict the activities and personal freedom of religious adherents.”
: US Department of Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control publishes three new Frequently Asked Questions related to the Chinese Military-Industrial Complex Sanctions.
: Office of the Director of National Intelligence releases report, “Best Practices to Protect Privacy, Civil Liberties, and Civil Rights of Americans of Chinese Descent in the Conduct of US Intelligence Activities.”
: Secretary Blinken expresses concerns about the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet and her team’s visit to Xinjiang and PRC efforts to manipulate her visit.
: US Trade Representative announces the extension of COVID -19 related medical-care product exclusions from China Section 301 Tariffs for an additional six months, through Nov. 30, 2022.
: Secretary Blinken delivers speech on the administration’s approach to the PRC at George Washington University.
: China’s Ministry of National Defense announces that Chinese and Russian militaries conducted a joint aerial strategic patrol in airspace over the waters of the Sea of Japan, the East China Sea, and the western Pacific Ocean.
: China’s Foreign Ministry Spokesperson delivers remarks on the decision of the 75th Session of WHA to reject the proposal of “inviting Taiwan to participate in the WHA as an observer.”
: At a press conference in Tokyo, Biden says that the US is willing to get involved militarily to defend Taiwan if China attacked Taiwan by force while insisting that the US abides by the “one China” policy.
: On a visit to Tokyo, Biden launches the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework for Prosperity (IPEF) with a dozen initial partners: Australia, Brunei, India, Indonesia, Japan, Republic of Korea, Malaysia, New Zealand, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam.
: House Foreign Affairs Committee holds a hearing on “The Ukraine Crisis: Implications for US Policy in the Indo-Pacific.”
: Justice Department releases statement that two research scientists for a major US pharmaceutical company, Chenyan Wu and Lianchun Chen, pleaded guilty to “illegally importing potentially toxic lab chemicals” and “forward confidential mRNA Vaccine research to China.”
: Justice Department charges a US citizen and four officials from China’s Ministry of State Security with spying on prominent dissidents, human rights leaders, and pro-democracy activists.
: Secretary of State Antony Blinken issues a statement advocating for the World Health Organization to invite Taiwan to participate as an observer at the 75th World Health Assembly (WHA) from May 22-28.
: National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan holds a phone call with Chinese Director of Office of the Foreign Affairs Commission Yang Jiechi and discusses “regional security issues and nonproliferation” as well as “Russia’s war against Ukraine and specific issues in US-China relations.”
: President Biden signs into law S. 812, which directs “the Secretary of State to develop a strategy to regain observer status for Taiwan in the World Health Organization.”
: US-China Economic and Security Commission holds a hearing titled “China’s Activities and Influence in South and Central Asia.”
: USS Port Royal (CG 73) of the 7th Fleet conducts a Taiwan Strait transit.
: Wall Street Journal reports that a Department of Defense study found China is exploiting the Small Business Innovation Research program that funds innovation among small US companies.
: New York Times reports that the Biden administration is rebuffing some of Taiwan’s requests for larger and more expensive weapons, instead urging Taiwan to buy other equipment that it believes will better deter and defend against China.
: State Department updates its “US Relations With Taiwan” page, removing phrases such as the United States “does not support Taiwan independence” and “opposes unilateral changes to the status quo by either side” and replaced them with the United States’ “longstanding one China policy, which is guided by the Taiwan Relations Act, the three US-China Joint Communiques, and the Six Assurances.”
: In a speech at the Lockheed Martin plant in Alabama, President Joe Biden says that the Chinese Communist Party has been lobbying to oppose the CHIPS Act.
: US Trade Representative commences statutory four-year review of actions taken under Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974 in the investigation of China’s Acts, Policies, and Practices Related to Technology Transfer, Intellectual Property, and Innovation.